According to statistics, about 3 thousand people in the world voluntarily die every day. Everyone has their own reason for killing themselves. But many suicides agree on one thing - they choose the most popular places for suicide.
OPENED DOOR
The tiny town of San Antonio del Tequendama, 30 kilometers southeast of the Colombian capital Bogota, is very popular with tourists. Here is one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the country - the 137-meter Tequendama.
This name was given to the waterfall by the Indians, in whose language "tequendama" means "open door". This door, according to the legend, was once "opened" by a wizard - he cut a rock with an ax, and water gushed out of it. Apparently, the wizard was kind, otherwise why would he show such beauty to the world ?!
In the early 1920s, Colombian President Pedro Nel Ospina himself ordered the construction of a small but very nice mansion against the backdrop of a waterfall. The building on the edge of the cliff was erected in the style of a French castle, from its windows you could admire the waterfall, which Ospina did in his free time, as they say, from work.
In 1926, the Colombian leader's presidential term ended, and the luxurious building was bought by a new owner, who arranged a hotel for wealthy guests. The hotel flourished in the middle of the last century, when another owner carried out a large-scale reconstruction in it. The hotel provided guests with 18 luxury apartments with fireplaces, bathrooms and handcrafted furniture. A magnificent view of the falls was included for free.
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Alas, in the second half of the 20th century, the waterfall began to grow shallow, clogged with drains, smell unpleasant, and the flow of visitors dried up. But a holy place is never empty! Instead of an exquisite audience, the ruined rich, romantics suffering from unrequited love, ordinary losers and unbalanced personalities reached for the waterfall.
Everyone was attracted by the prospect of throwing themselves off a cliff into an abyss in such an exotic place. In addition, the tradition of taking their own lives against the backdrop of Tequendama appeared among the Indians. Chased by the conquistadors, they jumped into the waterfall with their whole families and, according to legend, turned into eagles. But later suicides, according to rumors, became ghosts and gradually settled in an abandoned hotel.
The once popular vacation spot has become terrifying and fearful. Just imagine: a smelly waterfall, and next to it is a dilapidated building, literally packed with ghosts. To stop the flow of those wishing to commit suicide, locals demanded that the authorities open a police station in the former hotel. But the guards never showed up there.
And only recently the authorities have undertaken to restore order in this place. The Bogota River, which fed the shallow waterfall, was purified and the fetid odor was gone. True, now the waterfall is no longer as powerful as a century ago. The building received the status of a cultural heritage site of Colombia, and after reconstruction it is planned to open a national museum of biological diversity of fauna and flora within its walls.
The founders of the fund raising funds for the restoration of the mansion urge tourists not to be afraid of ghosts and to come to the waterfall in order to take a photo in front of it, and not commit suicide.
SEVEN SISTERS
Great Britain is one of the richest countries in the world, but even there are dissatisfied with life. Local suicides have chosen several places in which they prefer to lay hands on themselves. One of these is the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs along the English Channel in East Sussex.
It is always full of tourists, despite the fact that you can only get to the Seven Sisters by taxi or your own car. In good weather, this piece of paradise is so beautiful that it seems impossible not to be imbued with love of life. However, Foggy Albion is famous for its lingering rains and piercing winds.
Surely, in bad weather, it is so gloomy and dreary that bad thoughts come to mind. Most often they jump from Beachy Head cliff, which is deservedly called the Cape of Suicides. The high (162 m) chalk cliff juts out strongly into the sea, and offers beautiful views, but it is here that up to 20 suicides occur annually, and in the 1970s there were even more suicides - about 130.
Since then, the British have taken serious measures to prevent suicide attempts. They created a special brigade that runs along the coast and looks for potential suicides, worked among taxi drivers and pub owners who are required to report all suspicious individuals to the police. But it is impossible to stop all suicides.
In addition, each new case of suicide, widely reported in the media, only adds a specific attraction to the place. For example, recently the whole UK was debating about how one British couple committed suicide by jumping down a cliff. The police found the corpse of the child in the backpack of the married couple. As established by the investigation, the baby died before his parents committed suicide. Apparently, the death of his own child forced the father and mother to commit suicide.
BRIDGES TO ANOTHER LIFE
Clifton Bridge in the city of Bristol in the English county of the same name has long been notorious. It was built in 1834 under the leadership of a young and daring engineer Isambar Brunel. The bridge was a success - it came out unusually graceful for Britain, light, airy.
Over time, Clifton became the hallmark of Bristol. However, from the first days, the bridge began to attract the desperate. History has told us a funny story. In 1885, a 22-year-old young lady, Sarah Ann Henley, attempted suicide out of unrequited love.
However, lush outfits and crinolines slowed down the fall and softened the blow. Sarah survived and no longer tempt fate, she lived for 84 years.
Not everyone was so lucky. 4-5 people are thrown from the bridge annually. Because of this, Clifton became known as the bridge of suicides. And although special barriers have been made on it to prevent suicide attempts, and the rescue phone is indicated at the entrance, this does not stop those who want to take their lives.
The Nanjing Bridge over the Yangtze River in China is a national symbol. The inhabitants of the Celestial Empire are terribly proud of the construction: after the break in relations with the Soviet Union, the Chinese proved that they were able to build a bridge of this magnitude without outside support. Unfortunately, this bridge has acquired a notorious reputation as a place for suicide.
Since its construction in 1968, more than 1,000 people have jumped from it. That is, about 20 people take their own lives on the bridge every year. A colossal figure. The Chinese themselves are shocked by it, but the situation began to change for the better only in 2004, when a local resident began to voluntarily patrol the fateful place. Chen Xi walked around the bridge on weekends when he didn't have to go to work.
He talked with people who are tired of living. He said, in general, the most ordinary words: “Life is given only once, try to start it over. The sun sets in order to shine brighter tomorrow."
In the US state of Colorado, there is little that can be compared in beauty to Horseshoe Bend (in Russian "horseshoe") - the bend of the Colorado River in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The curved shape of this landmark is fully consistent with its name. The horseshoe is located very well - not far from a major highway. You only need to walk a kilometer from the parking lot - and here it is, American beauty!
But this beauty also has a downside - suicides from all over the world come to the unique bend of Colorado. And despite the fact that the observation deck is equipped with video surveillance systems, and there are a lot of policemen around, many suicides manage to make their fatal step into the abyss …
Vladimir STROGOV